Through the Eyes of Love
by Emery Saks
Summary: When Harold Hill witnesses Marian Paroo's frustration with her spectacles, he is both amused and intrigued. His gentle inquiry as to how often she needs them yields a most delightful response.


The end of September was only a few days away, and Harold Hill could hardly believe almost three months had passed since he'd first stepped foot into River City. But what a whirlwind three months it had been! In a mere matter of weeks, he'd gone from conman to businessman and managed to not only win the townspeople over, but also capture the heart of the lovely Marian Paroo. And he'd been more than happy to allow her to capture his, as well.

The evening walk to the Paroo home had become as familiar to him as the train routes that criss-crossed the Midwest and Harold found himself unconsciously turning corners as he made his way along Elm Street. The sun had already melted into the horizon and the evening stars were beginning to appear in the dark sky.

It was Tuesday. Marian would have a late lesson tonight. She always did. And every Tuesday night, Harold closed the Emporium promptly at 7 p.m. and made his way across town to the Paroo residence, greeting his fellow River City-ziens as he strolled down Center Street, across East Pine and rounding the corner onto Elm.

As usual, Mrs. Paroo didn't let him get past the second knock before opening the door and greeting him with a genuine smile. If the telltale flour smudged across her cheek hadn't informed the music professor of the cookies she'd been baking, the heady scent of cinnamon and nutmeg would have quickly given it away. Ushering him inside, the matron took his hat and hung it from a nearby peg. Excusing herself to check on her baking, she left Harold to loiter in the front entry as the sounds of the piano lesson floated across the room.

Harold was content to observe his dear little librarian in her element, her hands skillfully demonstrating several bars of a waltz as her eager student looked on and followed her movements. When young Katie Doyle replaced her hands upon the keys, Marian turned and flashed him a shy smile. Harold returned it with a broad grin and a wink and was delighted to see a slight blush suffuse the piano teacher's cheeks. His smile broadened when Marian reached over and plucked her glasses from the end table, settling them on her nose with a sigh and continuing with the lesson.

Harold couldn't contain the slight chuckle that escaped him, but was saved from answering Marian's inquiring glance when Mrs. Paroo bustled in to the front hall.

"Professor, I'm going to tuck Winthrop in for the night. Perhaps you'd care to join me?" she asked expectantly.

Harold was somewhat surprised at the request. Although he had helped put Winthrop to bed a few weeks ago, it hadn't happened since. He could still recall the sense of peace and contentment he'd felt engaging in something so domestic. It had been novel, but more than that, standing next to Marian and watching her tuck in her little brother had been startling. He hadn't been fully prepared for the emotions that had rushed through him when he witnessed her nurturing behavior. Images of them engaging in a similar routine with a little boy of their own had raced through his head. Later that night, when he was home alone with his thoughts, he revisited the scene several times. Although a part of him longed to wait until he could experience it with her again, Harold quickly acquiesced when Mrs. Paroo informed him the young boy had been asking for him at bedtime during the past two weeks.

He smiled as he heard his youngest student humming the Minuet in G, and when Harold walked through the door, he found Winthrop sitting in bed, clutching his cornet to him. A joyous grin split the little boy's face when he saw his music professor standing there.

"Professor!"

"Hello, Winthrop," Harold smiled. He affectionately ruffled the little boy's mop of unruly red hair and glanced at the cornet. "Practicing our music, I see."

Winthrop nodded vigorously and held up his cornet. "I think I have the first part of it pretty good. Want to hear?" he asked and raised it to his lips. But Mrs. Paroo quickly interceded and wrapped a firm hand around her son's arm to lower the instrument.

"I don't think so, me boy. It's too late to make such a racket. Let's give the neighborhood a few hours of peace and quiet," she scolded, but there was amusement in her voice as she did so.

Harold chuckled as well and lowered himself to Winthrop's height as Mrs. Paroo returned the cornet to its case near the closet. "Your mother's right, son," he agreed. Seeing Winthrop's crestfallen expression, he quickly put a finger to his lips and appeared as if in deep thought before loudly snapping his fingers. "I know! What say you stop by the Emporium tomorrow and you can show me what you've learned?"

Harold knew he'd hit upon the right answer when Winthrop's face lit up with excitement. Grinning back, the music professor leaned in conspiratorially and added, "Once you've finished dazzling me, we'll stop by the Candy Kitchen and celebrate with a sundae."

Harold watched as Winthrop glanced at his mother with a hopeful expression, silently asking for permission. He cultivated his own look of innocence and waited for Mrs. Paroo to agree. Sure enough, the older woman began to laugh and shook her head in defeat. "Who could resist two looks such as those?" she smiled. "You can go with the Professor tomorrow, young man-"

"Gee thanks, Mama!"

Mrs. Paroo held up a finger and continued, "Provided you finish your chores first."

Harold caught Winthrop's eye and winked. "I'd say that's a fair deal, wouldn't you?"

A beaming smile was answer enough; Harold leaned over and wrapped his arms around the boy for whom he'd developed a strong affection. Winthrop threw his own small arms around Harold's neck and squeezed him tight.

Harold felt his eyes glisten. Until he'd come to River City, it'd been quite a long time since anyone had offered him open affection outside of a con. To be welcomed so openly by the Paroo family and the rest of River City was still somewhat of a novelty for him.

As Winthrop untangled his arms from around Harold, the music professor chanced a glance over at Mrs. Paroo and was heartened to see her smiling warmly at him. Giving the little boy's hair an affectionate tousle, he stood up and followed the older woman out the door. When she had closed it until it was only slightly cracked open, she turned to Harold.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to thank you enough for the change you've brought into Winthrop's life, Professor."

Harold felt his face grow hot. "Please, Mrs. Paroo. It's Harold," he corrected. "And if anything, it's I who owe the three of you _my_ gratitude. By all rights, you should never have trusted me."

Mrs. Paroo smiled at that and shook her head. "You've always had a good heart, me boy. It just took some time for you to realize it and find it again. My daughter would never have trusted you if you didn't."

Harold gazed thoughtfully at the older woman for a moment, and then asked the question that had been piquing his curiosity for the past few weeks. "And you?"

Beaming, the matron shook her head and chuckled. "I knew you were a good man from the moment I met you. Your charming way with Winthrop that afternoon in the backyard revealed that. And if that weren't enough, you found excuses to seek out Marian far more often than your scheme dictated. I knew, early on, even if you two didn't, that you were attracted to each other."

Harold didn't quite know what to say to that, but fortunately he was saved from further embarrassment when Mrs. Paroo eyes widened comically and she threw her hands up in the air in dismay.

"My laundry! It's still outside on the line, and we have rain coming."

She quickly bustled down the stairs without a second glance at Harold, and the music professor was left to trail bemusedly in her wake. He chuckled when he saw the matron scuttle Marian's attempt at conversation as she sailed through the living room.

"The laundry, me girl!"

Marian, to her credit, merely nodded and politely asked, "Would you like any help, Mama?"

Waving away her daughter's question, she continued through the kitchen door, calling back, "I can manage it. I'll be back in a few moments," and then she was gone, disappearing into the kitchen.

Harold heard the back door close a moment later and laughed. "Well, she was certainly in a hurry."

Marian smiled fondly. "I learned long ago that the laundry is Mama's domain. I always offer to help, but I know better than to expect her to accept it." She resumed gathering the sheet music from the piano.

"Do you need any help?" Harold offered as he watched glide back and forth from the hutch to the piano.

"If you wouldn't mind closing the lid on the metronome and the piano, that'd be wonderful."

Happy to assist Marian, Harold did as she asked and then turned to observe her as she finished filing the sheet music – alphabetically, of course. As she leaned down to confirm the final piece, the silver spectacles precariously perched on her nose slid down, eliciting a sigh of frustration as she automatically pushed them back up to their rightful place.

"Oh, these infernal things!"

Harold couldn't help but laugh at the Marian's uncharacteristic display. The librarian, usually so poised and in control, presented a charming picture as she struggled to keep her spectacles in place. Stepping closer, he touched the edge of the silver frames and glanced at her with frank curiosity.

"You know, Madam Librarian, outside of the library and tonight, I don't think I've ever seen you wear these. How often do you need them?"

Blushing profusely, Marian took a small step back, and then smiled sheepishly.

"I occasionally need them at home when reading or going over a particularly-intricate piece of music. And sometimes, when I have a particularly-lengthy lesson with one of my advanced students, I require them," she admitted. Then, appearing rueful again, she shrugged. "But in all honesty, I tend to avoid wearing them out of sheer vanity."

When Harold cocked a confused eyebrow, she explained. "They make me less approachable to some people, and until recently I had enough trouble with River City-ziens thinking me a snob. I didn't want to add anything to an already-impossible situation."

Harold studied her thoughtfully for a moment and then stepped closer, bringing his mouth to her ear. "Less approachable?" he murmured, silky heat infusing his tone. "If anything, I think they make you more alluring, Miss Marian."

He was pleased to note Marian shiver at his intended compliment, and his delight increased even further when she gazed at him with an oddly self-conscious yet flattered smile.

"Honestly, Harold," she began, but stopped when Harold reached out and caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"Honestly, Marian," he affirmed. "_Quite_ alluring." His eyes roved across her features, and he dipped his head nearer. "Mostly because when you wear them, it affords me the opportunity to remove them for you." Stepping closer, he reached up and slowly pulled them away, sliding the small frames down along her nose.

He felt a shiver of satisfaction race through him as Marian's eyes momentarily slid shut before opening again to watch him gently fold the earpieces before he carefully deposited the spectacles on top of the piano. When he turned to face the librarian again, his eyes were dark with emotion, and he knew Marian could feel the change in his demeanor just as he could sense the shift in hers. She unconsciously leaned closer to him, and he could hear the slight quickening of her breathing as his hand slid around her waist.

"Harold, Mama is just outside," she cautioned, her eyes searching his. The music professor hesitated slightly, seeing the battle between propriety and desire warring within Marian as she tried to put a little distance between them. "She could return at any moment."

Deciding to take that chance, Harold acknowledged the truth of her words with a nod, but still tightened his hold on her, before tenderly bringing his hand up to cup her face. "That's why we shouldn't waste this opportunity," he whispered and lowered his mouth to hers for a gentle kiss.

Marian's hands fluttered aimlessly for a moment before coming to rest gently against his shoulders as she returned his embrace. Harold stroked his thumb along her cheek as he drew out the moment, bringing her even closer when Marian's lips parted on a pleased sigh. Caught up in the passion of the moment, he couldn't resist taking advantage of the opportunity she unwittingly presented him. With a soft groan, he deepened their kiss, doing his best to encourage his sweetheart's breathless sighs. When Marian's hands came up to clutch at his shoulders, Harold instantly lowered his own hands down to encircle her waist, letting his thumbs drift toward each other along the front seams of her dress. He felt her stiffen at the unfamiliar sensation – before now, he had never allowed them to stray from the confines of her waist – but a moment later, she relaxed against him and then his was his turn to start in surprise when he felt her fingers sink into the soft hair at the base of his neck.

Harold knew they were playing with fire. If Marian's mother were to find them entwined in such a heated embrace, she wouldn't be very understanding. As much as the widowed woman liked him, Mrs. Paroo was rather protective of her daughter, and rightfully so, he reflected. Reluctantly withdrawing, Harold pulled back as Marian's lips slowly slipped from his. He was delighted to note Marian's eyes remain closed, even as a contented smile played about the corners of her mouth. Touched by the picture of loveliness she presented, he moved his hands to gently capture hers. He tugged the complicit librarian closer, their hands resting between them, and then waited, gazing contentedly at her until her eyes eventually fluttered open.

Marian met his gaze with a shy smile, and Harold was delighted to observe a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. It sent a warm thrill racing through him to know his kisses had the power to elicit such a reaction from his dear little librarian, and without conscious thought, the words he had been dancing around for the last few weeks came tumbling, unbidden, from his lips

"Oh Marian, how I love you," he confessed in a quiet whisper. Her eyes widened at the soft admission, and Harold felt his heart inexplicably constrict as his confession hung in the still silence of the parlor. Although he had admitted his love to Marian once before, it had been when he thought their time fleeting, and he'd felt no hesitation in declaring the truth. But Harold knew words of love uttered in the passion of the moment often had the tendency of being dismissed in the rational light of day, and even though he believed Marian must know he had truly meant the sentiment, he had been careful to not repeat those words until he was absolutely certain of his own intentions. Such a statement carried unspoken promises, and Harold was adamant that once uttered, those promises would be fulfilled.

But caught up in the moment, he had unconsciously lowered his defenses, and now he stood waiting, desperate to see if he'd spoken too soon. Harold felt his breath catch when Marian's eyes glistened and radiated the same happiness he knew was reflected in his.

"I love you, too, Harold," she admitted. "You must know that."

Harold smiled, illuminating his entire countenance. "I do, darling," he assured her. "But to hear you say it…" His eyes slid shut for a moment and a sense of peace washed over him. When he reopened them, Marian was still gazing lovingly at him.

"To hear you say it," he repeated, and then paused as he sought to find the words which would properly convey just how much her admission meant to him. Although Marian continued to regard him with a patient smile, Harold knew he would not be able to adequately express himself without saying too much. So instead, he resorted to bringing her hands back to his and covering them with gentle kisses until he regained his composure.

Marian's response was also without words; she beamed at him and gave his hands an affectionate squeeze. They stood handclasped for a few moments longer before the slamming of the kitchen screen door caused them to step apart, Marian's hands falling from Harold's as she moved away. Regretting the lack of privacy and at the same time grateful to be saved from saying anything prematurely, Harold graciously accepted Mrs. Paroo's invitation to stay for a slice of lemon cake.

As he followed his little librarian and her mother to the kitchen, the music professor found himself thinking he was quite indebted to those little spectacles. He might just have to see about purchasing an eyeglass chain for Miss Marian. He'd hate to miss other opportunities to remove them from his sweetheart's lovely eyes and indulge in kisses simply because she'd misplaced them.

Yes … he'd definitely have to look into procuring one for River City's lovely librarian. Harold grinned. It would behoove him to visit more often on nights she gave lessons …


End file.
